A solar cell, also referred to as a photovoltaic (PV) cell, is a device that converts solar energy into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which captures energy from sunlight and/or other light sources (e.g., artificial light, such as from indoor lighting in homes and offices). Assemblies of solar cells are sometimes used to make solar modules, which may in turn be linked in photovoltaic arrays.
Solar cells have many applications. For example, individual cells are used for powering small devices such as electronic devices (e.g., calculators with integrated solar cells and watches with integrated solar cells).